Game World
by Kazanesakura
Summary: It's sort of a multi-crossover with a couple of anime/games/manga. Alice, Sakari, Crysta and Vivaldi travel the world in hopes of putting an end to this virtual reality. Picking up Weapons and Shields along the way may actually make things easier... Or not...
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

_**"The Knight I'm contracted to is my father... He doesn't really care about me, though..."**_

_**"My Dame beats me everyday. She says it's to make up for my uselessness as a Shield..."**_

_**"I wonder why I was ever born... No one ever wants to make a contract with a 'defective' Weapon..."**_

_**"Why am I different from other Dames...?"**_

_**"What's it like to be free? I shouldn't wonder... I won't ever know anyway."**_

_**"It hurts... Everything hurts... Someone... Please... Help me..."**_

_**"I don't want to be pushed around... But it's cold out here... I won't freeze if I do as he says, will I?"**_

_**"People are people... It doesn't matter if you're a Knight, Dame, Weapon, or Shield... At least that's what I think..."**_

_**"We'll always be trapped, won't we? A never ending cycle of being used and broken... There's no hope..."**_

_**"Please let it end soon... It hurts so much..."**_

_**"I want to be a bird... That way, I can fly to the open sky..."**_

_**"It's okay to fight back. You are a person, after all. You have rights to be safe and happy."**_

_**"If my life ends... Will my suffering also end...? Probably not, huh? Even if I die... I'll still suffer..."**_

_**"I want to sleep forever... That way, I won't have to be hurt or used again by anyone, right?"**_


	2. Chapter 1

A young girl sighed as she looked outside their small wooden house. A group of kids was playing by the road, with some showing a distinct mark on their body. They either had the mark of an "x" or a shield while others had the mark of a cross, embraced by two roses. The girl just watched them as she thought of the past, before the Luria Corporation implemented their game project. "The Knights of Round" is very popular, since everyone is a player. The "x" symbol stood for Weapons. Shields meant Protectors and the cross symbolized both Knights and Dames. Knights and Dames create contracts with Weapons and Protectors in order to fight. However, before the game, no one would have hurt anyone. The world was peaceful. _It must have been nice. Not having to worry about fights... now, everyone wants to fight…_ She thought to herself.

"That was one mighty sigh there, Crysta." The girl's green eyes looked for the speaker. She found a brown haired girl standing by the door. "Alice!" she exclaimed as she skipped over to her friend and tackled her. "Hey, Crys. It hasn't been that long yet, has it?" Alice said, her teal eyes shining with mischief. Crysta hopped up and down, and excitedly began talking about how they would go on a journey someday.

Alice could not help her fond chuckle as her friend went on about saving others. She herself wanted to save as many people as possible. She dusted her blue dress as she stood from the floor. "Come on. Val and Kari are both waiting for us at the gate. You they know how they love hunting." Alice spoke as she fixed her ponytail. "I wish my hair grows as long as yours… Braiding would be much more fun." commented Crysta as her hair fell back in place above her shoulders. "It gets tiresome to straighten my hair out sometimes." Alice said with a smile. "But your hair doesn't even reach your waist!" Crysta exclaimed. They chuckled lightly at that, before walking outside. They gave soft smiles as two children helped each other out. _At least our village is peaceful._ Crysta thought as she and Alice made their way to the gates.

"Mom... We'll be fine! Don't worry too much." a girl with green hair complained as a woman with black hair gazed sternly at her. Beside her, a blue haired man was hugging a girl. "Father, if anything, you would be the one to cause my death: by hugging me too tightly." said the girl as the man combed through curly locks of violet hair.

Crysta laughed into her right hand, hair bouncing as she ran over to them. The woman's brown eyes looked at the two new comers. "Val! Kari! Ready to go?" the blonde greeted them. "Sure, do you have your knife?" the violet haired one asked. Her hair rested on her shoulders as she straightened her red shirt. "Vivaldi, you know there's no way I would forget, right?" she retorted, not using her friend's nickname. "Doesn't hurt to be sure." Her right hand rested on the pocket of her black knee length skirt as her violet eyes looked at Alice. "Al?" The girl nodded her head and tried to answer back but her other friend beat her.

"Val. You know they wouldn't forget such an important factor," the green haired girl stated, her blue eyes looking at them. Her left hand rested on the waistline of her skirt. Her mother had stopped straightening the girl's white shirt, saying, "Sakari, make sure you guys have your knives, bows and arrows." Sakari sighed, hand combing through her hair. "Maybe I should let my hair fall to my waist like yours." Vivaldi contemplated. "It will get tiresome to maintain it if you do…" the grumbling of the man caused his five companions to laugh cheerfully. "Well, better hurry before it's dark." Sakari's mother hurried them along.

They went into the forest to hunt. By the time they collected enough food for their families, it was already dusk. That was when they'd heard the screams and shouts. They looked back at the direction of their village and saw thick black smoke rising from the ground. As Alice ran head first to her house , she saw the remains of her neighbors scattered all over the ground. Her sister was barely breathing when she got to her. "Lorina!" she cried out as she knelt by her sister's side and moved to cradle her. Lorina spoke in a voice barely above a whisper. "The four of you... Must travel to... Luria and end this farce... You must hurry... Before it's... Too... Late..." were her last words as she closed her eyes to rest forever.

Alice went to check on her friends only to see each with sad faces. She ran to Vivaldi and cried in her arms. They gave everyone the most proper funeral and burial they could offer in a day, before leaving their home with heavy hearts and a goal set in their eyes.

It was dusk when they reached the heart of the forest and they heard a whimpering sound. "I'm going to investigate it." Alice went on and looked for what or who would make such a sound. Under the bushes was a boy. His hair was a dirty white color and his clothes were nothing more than rags. His eyes were shut tight underneath his glasses as he shivered from the slightly cold wind. Alice could perfectly see the chained X on his right hand. She knelt beside him, not minding the blood and dirt getting on her white dress. "Girls! Could you help me? He has gashes and open wounds all over!" Alice called out. "What?! Let me see!" Sakari answered. Vivaldi could only stand there in shock and Crysta was too overwhelmed by the sight. "Val! We need the first aid kit! Vivaldi!" this snapped the purple haired girl out of her trance. She whirled around to get the kit, her knee-length blue skirt fluttering as she did so.

Crysta came up to hold the kit as Vivaldi rolled the sleeves of her light blue shirt. Sakari had wrapped her green jacket around the unconscious boy. Crimson red bled through the green haired girl's light brown shirt. Her black shorts conveniently hid the dust and soil clinging to them. Crysta ran off, pail and towel in hand, heading to where she could hear flowing water. Vivaldi knelt beside Alice, attempting to help the brunette in stopping any more bleeding. Moments later, Crysta returned with the towel soaked just enough to clean wounds. She held the pail, which was half full of water, in her left hand. The boy had begun to whimper louder as they applied the antiseptics and bandages to the wounds. They'd also cleaned him from dirt and dust.

"Hush. There, there. It's alright now. We won't hurt you." Alice cooed. "Let's set up camp here." Said Alice as she gently put the boy down on the blanket they'd laid out. Vivaldi stood up, mindful not to let blood drop from her white skirt to back to the boy. "I'll start a fire." After a few moments, they all sat around the fire Vivaldi had made. "I'll go look for some food." Sakari spoke out before leaving in search of dinner. "I'll come with!" Crysta exclaimed as she caught up to the girl. "Hey, Val. He'll be fine, won't he? I don't want him to die... Or suffer..." Alice said as she hugged her knees closer to herself. "... Well... Let's wait 'til he wakes up. For now, let's get ourselves cleaned, okay?" Alice nodded at the idea.

Red eyes blinked open beneath round glasses and wearily looked at his surroundings. Thin lips formed into a tight line as he tried to comprehend the situation. _I was on my way home when I fainted... Where am I now? _He thought to himself. He looked around for a few seconds before his eyes widened in shock and fear. There was something holding him. He slowly looked behind him to find a girl. Sleepy, yet alert, green eyes met his gaze. She gave him a smile as she sat up. "You're awake! I'm so glad!" she exclaimed. Before moving to hug him. "Al~ I was having a good dream!" a voice whined out. A girl with blonde hair gave a yawn while a green haired girl sluggishly sat up.

"It's too early for this, Al..." the green haired girl said as a violet haired girl was in complete lecture mode. "I dreamt of flowers and peace this time! You just had to be so~ loud, huh?" "Val~ He's awake! Isn't that wonderful?!" Alice said, hugging the boy close to her. He was blushing a scarlet color as she rubbed their faces in an affectionate manner. "Al... You're hurting him. Don't hug him too tightly." the blonde said slowly, still half-asleep. The boy blinked at the statement. _Are they... Like me...?_ His thoughts were answered as the green haired girl took the blanket off of her shoulders revealing pale skin under the sleeveless pink shirt. The symbol was so easy to see. On her left shoulder was a silver cross wrapped by two red roses. _She... She's..._ The boy could only shake in fear as he looked at the brunette's outstretched hand. On the back was the same symbol.

"What is it? What's wrong?" the brunette's question caused him to look at her in surprise. She had a look of concern on her face as she coaxed his answers out. "Y-you're... Dames...?" he asked with a hoarse and scared voice. The blonde held a cup of water to him, teal eyes looked at him gently. "Here. Careful, now. It would seem you haven't drank in a while. We wouldn't want you to overdo anything." she said. "And yes. We are Dames. My name is Sakari Shizuku." the green haired girl answered as she dusted her white knee-length skirt. "I'm Vivaldi Dupre. Pleased to meet you." the now calmed girl greeted as she straightened her red dress. The blonde smiled as she dusted her yellow shirt before saying, "Name's Crysta Snowpigeon. Nice to meet you." The girl cradling him went next. "Hi, I'm Alice Liddell." She had stopped hugging him by then, choosing instead to straighten her light blue dress. "I'm so glad you woke up." She said, turning her attention back to him. "Val said it might take you a while considering some of your wounds were infected. Ah~ I'm just glad you're okay!"

Crysta cocked her head to the right as the boy stayed silent, gazing at them through eyes full of fear and uncertainty. _Why is he so scared? Do we look scary?_ She wondered as the boy shakily took the cup from her. Alice gave a yawn as she stood up and took a knife out of her pocket. "I'll go hunt for some fish." she declared clearly. He couldn't stop the words which came out of his mouth. "Do you r-really need a knife fo-for fishing?" his red eyes widened in fear after the words left his mouth. The Dames all gave him a blank look for a moment. He knew they would punish him and the Knight he was contracted to would not care. He shut his eyes tightly, already anticipating the blows when nothing came. He was confused for a moment, almost wanting to ask what the punishment would be, until he heard laughter. Opening his eyes, he saw three of the Dames laughing lightly as the brunette had a bright red blush on her face.

"Ha-ha~ He got you, Al! He got you good!" Crysta exclaimed, trying and failing to contain her giggles. "Pfft. That was a good one! Why have we never thought of asking that?" Vivaldi added to the blonde's words. "Hehe~ Don't worry. We're always like this." Sakari said as she saw his shocked expression. "So what's your name?" she asked him. "I... Um... P-Peter Wh-White." Alice squealed at that. "You're name is so~ cute! And you also look cute yourself!" she shouted before taking hold of Sakari's arm and pulling her along. "C'mon Kari! Let's go fish hunting!" "Um... D-don't you mean... Fishing?" Peter mumbled to himself, even more confused. He wondered if they were trying to give him a false sense of security, like others do. "Why so surprised?" Crysta asked in a curious tone. "W-why...? A-aren't you ma-mad at m-me for t-talking back?" he asked them, voice still fearful. "Well, if you couldn't talk back, we would have taught you how to." Vivaldi said in a sure tone. Peter nearly choked on the water he was drinking at the girl's claim. "Hey now... I told you not to overdo it, didn't I?" Crysta scolded him gently as she pat his back.


	3. Chapter 2

**Don't own HnKnA or any of the other series. Also don't own any anime, manga or game. Only own the plot and Sakari.**

* * *

**Game World**

**Ages:**

**Crysta: 12**

**Alice: 13**

**Peter: 13 and 6 months**

**Vivaldi:17 and 3 months**

**Sakari: 17 and 4 months**

**~Present~**

Peter watched the Dames wearily as they made breakfast. He sat by the tree, trying to shrink as he thought of what his master would do to him upon returning home. That is, until Alice crouched beside him. She touched his forehead and frowned. "No wonder you're shivering. You've got a fever. Silly, why didn't you say so earlier?" she asked with a concerned voice. He watched as she soaked a towelette before he asked in a shaking voice, "Why d-do you a-act so... N-nicely... To m-me?" Alice tilted her head to the right as she slowly began to understand the situation. She held the piece of cloth on his forehead as she answered the question in the most honest way possible. "We came from a small village." she began. "For all our lives, we were taught that everyone is the same. No one has rights to hurt or use others. The Knights, Dames, Weapons, Shields... Everyone has equal rights. In our village, we all lived with the choice of getting a contract or not..." red eyes widened at the Dame's words as she gently pushed him down to a lying position. "Crys, Val, Kari and I... We grew up around peace loving people. We were taught that fighting gets you no where and nothing. It only brings pain, agony, misery, strife..." she gave a heavy sigh as she patted his now snow white hair.

"My big sister was a Shield. She made a contract with Val's big brother. They'd loved each other a lot. They... They were happy and... Franko always defended her... And... And..." she sniffed, tears dropping from her eyes like raindrops. Peter was about to retort that peace was nothing more than an unobtainable dream but he found himself unable to do so. His right hand automatically moved to comfort the girl. "If it helps... I know... How betrayal feels, too." Alice looked at him in shock. "Who... Who hurt you? Why would they ever want to hurt you in the first place?" she asked him in a concerned yet angry tone. "I... My... It's... My Kn-Knight..." Alice could only gape at the revelation. "Guys!" Peter looked confused but was unable to do much, with his fever and all. "What?!" Crysta reacted first, asking the question before the older girls could. She was sitting at the center of the two tents, making a campfire. "We're going to take Peter with us!"

"H-Huh?!" Peter gaped at the sudden statement. The three Dames looked at Alice in worry. "You realize he's contracted, right? Otherwise, the chains would not appear on his mark." Vivaldi spoke out. "Exactly! We'll go talk to his Knight and ask if he could come with us!" Peter could barely hold back his cry of surprise as Alice dragged him to the path opposite his home. "Al! Do you even know where his Knight is?!" Sakari's question made the young brunette stop in her tracks. "Umm... Peter?" the boy was still in shock at the events unfolding before him. "Peter?" Alice asked once more. Red eyes looked at her with uncertainty and a faint hint of hope. "He-He'll hurt you..." "No need to worry! It's my job as a Dame to protect everyone! Now let's go!" Sakari went up to her and stopped her before she could take another step. "Hold it, wise one. It's too dangerous for him to travel with us. We'll be hunted down for what we plan to do, remember?" "Yeah. But Kari..." Alice let Peter go so she could whisper to her old time friend. "His Knight is the one hurting him. He said so..." Sakari looked to Peter who was looking downcast. "Alright. But if he says no, we won't have any choice but to leave Peter, okay?" Alice nodded.

They went on to the small cottage upstream where Peter lived. Alice was at the front of the group with Crysta to her right, Vivaldi to her left and Sakari at the back. Peter bit his lower lip at their formation... He stood in the middle of their circle. _Shouldn't they let me go first? Someone or something might attack... They're not actually planning to __**defend**__ me... Are they? _Peter sighed at his own thoughts. Alice glanced over her shoulder, wondering what was wrong. "What is it?" Crysta asked. "Nothing... We're here..." The door to the small cottage was open and a white haired man in his mid-thirties was standing in the doorway. He wore a blue shirt and brown shorts. "Bout time ya got back. Now get your worthless ass in here and work, ya good fer nothin'-" "Hey! Who do you think you are to talk in such a way to our friend?!" Alice cut the man off. Peter looked horrified at the situation at hand. "I'm it's contractor. Wha 'bout ya?" That sentence got on the Dames' nerves. It was Sakari who answered back. "**We** are his friends." Vivaldi and Crysta both stood in front of Peter, their arms outstretched as though to shield him.

"Ha! Friends? Weapons like him don't deserve no friends! They're just Weapons!" This proclamation got Alice real angry. Because even though it has only been less one day, she felt real close to the boy already. "How about we fight. Right here. Right now. Peter will be free of you should you lose, right? That's the rule." "Wait! Don't fight! I... I..." Alice looked at Peter and gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry! It'll be fine!" "Al, be careful, okay?" Peter looked on nervously fidgeting and gnawing on his lower lip. "Fine! Oi! Get over here Weapon!" Reluctantly, the albino walked over to his Knight. He flinched as the man activated their contract. A dark violet aura surrounded the man's right hand as a silver gun appeared in his grasp. "Heh, let's get this over with already." He fired shot after shot at Alice, who swiftly blocked everything with her pocket knife. She jumped to the right and in a flash was holding a bow and arrow in her hands. She let the arrow fly, scratching the man's gun.

"Al! Remember Weapons and Shields also take the damage you inflict on the things they represent!" Vivaldi shouted as she saw their new friend cringe in pain. Alice cussed in her head. _Shit. Can't believe I forgot that. _She looked to Peter who was obviously holding back his tears. She sprinted to the left, barely dodging a bullet and took her knife out once more. She waited for the right moment before she threw the knife at the man. It landed squarely on his back bone, causing him to fall, convulsing with pain. "Do you forfeit?" She asked holding her knife to his neck. The man looked at her with surprisingly grateful blue eyes. "Kill me... Please... And care for my... Son more than I ever could..." Green eyes widened at that. The man was Peter's father? "It is the only way I can be happy. The only way he can be safe from me." Alice took a deep breathe as she pulled her other knife out of his spine. "W-why?" "I can keep him safe from you and everyone else." "Al!" she looked over her shoulder and saw Crysta running to her.

"He lost a lot of blood." Alice voiced as they healed him and checked on Peter. "I think that's why he asked for me to end it..." she said in a grim voice. Peter had a faraway look on his face as he sat on the sofa's edge. They were in the living room of the cottage. There was a table at the center, a shelf of plates and utensils beside the window, and a portrait hanging over the hearth. Peter's eyes rested on the red haired woman in the portrait. She held a baby in her arms while a man hugged her from behind. "I promised her to protect you until your true contractor came." the man said in a hoarse voice. "That day she died, all she asked for me to do was keep you safe." Peter looked at him in confusion and betrayal. "Why... Why did you treat me the way you did?" "They would have taken you from me otherwise. At the very least, I wanted to make sure you lived."

**~Few Hours Later~**

"We have to go now." Vivaldi said as she took their bag of supplies with her. "You don't have to if you don't want to." Alice told Peter who was looking at his father with unwavering eyes. "I forgive you." he said before walking out the door. Alice followed after him. Vivaldi gave the man one last look before she, too, went outside. "Please. I'm sure of this." "Are you? Truly?" "Yes." Peter held his right hand to Alice who was hesitant to take it. "Alright. Since you're sure." Alice held his hand in hers and closed her eyes. A soft lavender mist surrounded their entwined hands. Peter looked in awe at the color. _Usually it's a dark purple color which symbolizes the contract... But with her..._

Sakari, Vivaldi, and Crysta all stood there with happy smiles on their faces. Alice and Peter were both totally oblivious to what the three were planning to do. Crysta elbowed Vivaldi who looked at Sakari with determined eyes. They all nodded to each other before looking back at their two friends. Alice was giving them a suspicious look while Peter just seemed confused yet happy. "So, what shall we do first, Alice-sama?" upon hearing the way he called her, Alice blanched. "Peter! You don't have to call me that! You can just call me 'Alice' or even 'Al'!"

Peter's eyes closed in content as his head tilted to the right. "Ah, but Alice-sama is Alice-sama, right?" he said in a cheerful manner. Alice blushed at Peter's gesture. Crysta chuckled at her friend's scarlet face as Sakari and Vivaldi both gave a small smile of hope. Peter went ahead and gave Alice a hug, lightly chuckling as he did so. Alice laughed along with him and the group carried on their way. The setting sun formed a halo behind them, creating an ethereal portrait.

_I'm glad that we met. Because of you, I can finally be happy. Thank you._

**Teaser**

_"Quit ganging up on him."_

_"What'll you do about it?!"_

_"I finally get to meet you!"_

_"We'd read a book before..."_

**AN**

Please let me know how I did. By the way, you could always send me requests about which anime I should cross over first. Either PM me or review! The list of probable anime and/or manga is on my profile. Thanks!


	4. Chapter 3

**Don't own HnKnA or any of the other series. Also don't own any anime, manga or game. Only own the plot and Sakari.**

* * *

**Game World**

**Ages:**

**Crysta: 12**

**Alice: 13**

**Maria: 13 and 3 months**

**Peter: 13 and 6 months**

**Blood: 14 and 2 months**

**Vivaldi:17 and 3 months**

**Sakari: 17 and 4 months**

**Chapter 3**

The night was young when they stepped inside the inn. They have been traveling for six and a half days already. The only boy of the group looked around in wonder while his companions went about unpacking. "What's up?" asked Crysta as she sat beside him on the bed. Her pale green dress fluttering as she did so. His fingers played with the hem of his plain white shirt before giving a not so small sigh as he answered, "Nothing..." she just hummed and called their friends over. "Hey guys! Peter's got a problem!" the one in question flinched a bit at the blunt declaration. Alice was the first to react to that.

"Wha? What is it? Did we forget something? Did I do something? Did we-" "No! It is absolutely **not **your fault, Alice-sama! I just... " his red eyes suddenly took interest in the floor as he mumbled his reason. "What is it?" Vivaldi asked him, her right hand holding the sleeve of Alice's pink shirt as her left hand rested on her red dress. Sakari placed her hands on her pale orange shirt. "It's just... I've never been to such a cozy place before... And I don't really have much things..." Alice's red knee-length skirt swayed as she moved to sit beside him. Her eyes were looking at the other girls with subtle anger.

"That's fine. We'll just get you used to it! Besides, we are going to buy you new supplies later!" Crysta looked at her in shock, Vivaldi lightly smacked Alice's head and Sakari gave a sigh as she dusted her pale blue knee-length skirt. "We barely have enough for a day in this inn. We'll have to win tournaments..." Sakari said with a faraway look on her face. Alice looked downcast at that. _I am currently the only one who can qualify for tournaments... But Peter could get hurt... I'm not good with guns... _Alice thought to herself. She looked at Peter to see him looking at her with slight dread. "Alice-sama? Are we entering one?" he asked her, eyes filled with resignation.

"I... I'm not that good with guns... You might get hurt... I don't..." Alice looked away for she could not handle his resigned look. Sakari heaved a sigh. "You might get a chance... No, wait... How 'bout you practice with Peter's gun?" Vivaldi said in a thoughtful manner. Alice still had the unsure look on her face but it slowly vanished to reveal a determined one. "Alright... Peter! We'll go practice in the woods!" Alice ran off leaving her friends surprised yet happy at her enthusiasm. "Well... You better get going, too, Peter." Sakari said as she went to continue sorting their belongings. "Of course!" Vivaldi stood beside Sakari as her eyes remained focused on the doorway.

**~Inn Kitchen~**

"I regret ever wasting money on insignificant accessories." Vivaldi said dejectedly. Crysta pat her shoulder in a comforting way. "We still need new supplies for Peter. We'll have to make do with what we can. Even though we probably won't get any more than money for the rentals..." Sakari said as she brought out cooking utensils. "So... What shall we make?" "Soup...?" Crysta said in an unsure voice as she held the pot in her left hand and the spatula in the other. "I'll make pie. Apple pie." Vivaldi declared, holding an apple in her right hand. "Alright, I'll take care of beverages." Sakari said, focusing her eyes onto the blender.

"Hey, guys? Shouldn't we ask if we could use these? None of them are ours..." Crysta pointed out as Sakari rummaged about for fruits.

**~Peter x Alice~**

Alice held the white pistol in her right hand and listened to Peter's instructions on how to properly wield it. "Wait, Alice-sama! Don't unlatch the safety mechanism yet!" Alice just blinked owlishly at her friend before tilting her head to the right. _She's so cute... Not like most Dames at all... _The albino thought as Alice gave him a questioning glance, her lips forming a small frown and her brows knitting a bit. _I wonder if I did something wrong...?_ She thought as Peter kept staring into space. "Peter? I'm sorry... I'm not good at this, am I?" Peter looked at Alice with barely hidden shock. "What?! You're a natural at this, Alice-sama! See, you're stance is perfect. You just have to know how to use the gun itself."

Alice smiled at that. "Yeah. My sisters actually wanted me to learn but I never did like the thought of killing anyone... Accident or not..." Peter listened intently as Alice told of what occurred four days ago. "I don't know why it had to happen... We weren't doing anything wrong or illegal... We didn't defy them publicly... So why did they have to burn everything and everyone...?" red eyes looked at her in shock and sorrow. _Why indeed...? Then again... It __**is**__ Lufia Incorporated... They're all selfish... _He thought as he hugged his Dame. "Alice-sama... Would you like to take a break? We've been here for fifteen minutes already. And-" "Nope! I'll keep practicing 'til I'm sure you won't get hurt because of me!"

Peter gave a soft, resigned sigh before smiling softly. "Alright then. You hold the gun like this and try not to shake your hand..." he held her hand in his to show her how it's done and continued to explain. "Aiming won't be a problem since Alice-sama's great at archery and knife throwing. So we'll focus on the idea itself. Guns don't necessarily mean death." Peter let go of her hand to point at the gun's safety mechanism. "As long as this is not unlatched, the gun will never shoot. It makes certain that the trigger is locked in place, see?" Peter demonstrated this and gave a light chuckle at the determined girl. Alice absorbed the information like a sponge to water.

**~Inn~**

"Um... Excuse me, but... You're not allowed to sell here without paying rent..." Vivaldi handed a pouch to the blonde maid before saying, "That has 50 gold coins in it. Give that to your boss." she then went back to her friends, who were busy accommodating the people outside. "Three apple pies coming right up!" she called out before noticing that one of her friends was gone. "Hey, Crys...! Where's Kari?" she asked. Crysta looked about before giving her a worried look. "I... She was here just a while ago..." Vivaldi sighed before focusing once again on the pies. "Well, I'm not getting any weird, foreboding feeling, so... Three more pies. Okay."

**~Alleyway~**

Sakari turned the corner, the basket of fruits in her right hand and the bag of meat in her left. As she walked into the dim alley, a shorter way to the hotel, she came upon a sight that made her blood boil. There was a group of six teens cornering another. They were smiting and beating up the victim. A Weapon, judging by their words. "Hey!" she called out. She'd left her groceries by the corner as a knife now rested in her right hand. "Leave him alone!" the violators looked at her. "Who are you to tell us what to do, huh?" "I am a Dame." the teens just snickered at her response. "So what? We're Knights and Dames, too!" Sakari's left eyebrow twitched at the arrogance in his voice.

"Look! You're hurting him!" the others just smirked at her. "That's the thing. It feels wonderful that we are in charge. Besides, we're teaching this defect a lesson!""Quit ganging up on him!" the blonde boy, the leader it seemed, stood straight and glared at her. "Oh yeah? And if we don't?" Sakari felt a spark of anger bubble in her chest. _Why are there people like you? _She wanted to demand, but the blonde's next words were just so boastful. "What'll you do about it?!" the sound of stifled cries reached her ears and before she could stop herself, the peace loving Dame had let a powerful punch loose. The boy staggered backwards at the force of her punch, blood running down not so thin lips.

Sakari rushed to the aid of the victim, knocking the others out in the blink of an eye. The leader apparently had a weapon, though, and roughly pulled a girl to his side. He now held a long katana. It was probably due to the adrenaline rushing in her veins or maybe because part of her panicked or both, Sakari hopped on over to the other boy and instinctively created a contract. Gatling gun in hand, she began to shoot at the Knight with vigor. It took but five minutes before the blonde ran off in anger and fright. The two Weapons blinked in surprise as she gave an exasperated huff. "People are people, no matter conditions." she said in a confident voice.

She looked over the two, examining them. The Knight's now ex-Weapon had long silver hair and lavender eyes. She wore a sorry excuse of a dress, pale green with a skirt reaching halfway through her thighs. "You're okay now, right?" the girl nodded her head while pointedly looking at the floor. Sakari then turned her attention to the boy she had unintentionally contracted with. He had short blue hair and wore pale yellow rags. His eyes were clenched tightly and he was shaking badly. Sakari went and ripped a piece of cloth from her pale orange shirt and reached for his right arm. Seeing him flinch back, she gave a soft sigh. "I'm sorry." his eyes looked at her in confusion. She was astounded to see such expressive blue eyes.

_Somehow, he looks familiar... Like... _"It's okay. I won't hurt you. I'm sorry for suddenly forming a contract." the boy looked confused and unsure. She understood how rare it was for a Dame like her to be nice and fair to Weapons, she'd learned as such with Peter's situation. Sakari reached out once more, giving him a soft, sad smile, to let the boy know it was alright. He shakily reached out to show that he accepted his situation. "So, what're your names?" the two looked surprised at her question, but answered nonetheless. "I'm Maria Kurenai." "B-Blood... My name is Blood."

**~Yuki x Maria~**

The three soon found themselves back at the hotel where four people were looking frantically for their friend. Sakari could only grunt as her unofficial little sister tackled her. "Kari! We thought something awful had happened to you! Peter and I came back from the forest two hours ago and you still weren't back!" the brunette cried as she hugged her long time friend. "Sorry Al. I ran into a troublesome bunch of kids ganging up on someone." Sakari's eyes trailed over to Vivaldi as the purple haired girl just stood there, immobile and speechless. "Val? Something wrong?" the question brought the purple haired girl to snap out of her trance-like state.

While the four Dames talked the current situation out, Peter had gone over to greet the two. "Hi, I'm Peter White. Alice-sama's first ever Weapon! You are...?" he trailed off at the end, not yet knowing their names. _How can he be so happy when someone is restraining him? _Thought the silverette. "My name is Kurenai Maria." the girl said quietly. "Blood..." the boy answered, eyes glued to the floor. "Don't worry. I don't bite. Neither do they." the albino pointed to the four Dames huddled together. "They will probably not form a contract with either of you unless you're willing to be tied to them until death do you apart or someone beats them and wins you.

The blonde girl ran up to them with a cheery smile on her face. "Hi there! I'm Crysta Snowpigeon. Nice to meet you!" The brunette stood behind the blonde saying, "Hi! I'm Alice Liddell. Hope we get along!" The purple haired one came next, standing a few feet away. "My name is Vivaldi Dupre." "They are my childhood friends who have always been more like sisters." Sakari explained. She stood beside her new friends and introduced them. "This is Maria Kurenai." the silverette gave a shy look. "And this is Blood." the boy looked at the floor. "You look awfully familiar." Crysta said. She looked at Vivaldi then Blood and back again. "You guys look alike!"

_**Flashback**_

_**"Papa? Where's Mama going?" an eight year old girl asked, her hands clutching tightly onto her older brother. Her mother, a beautiful woman with long waist length dark blue hair, stood at the doorway with a suitcase. "She's not going to live with us anymore, Val..." her brother said in a soft, sad voice."But what about little brother? Is he going to leave us, too?" "He's too young to live away from mother, so yes... If you want, you can go with them." her father answered with a far off look. She shook her head. "I'd miss you both too much. And I'd also miss Al, Kari, and Crys."**_

_**She gave a longing sigh before running to her father and giving him a tight hug. "She hurt you a lot so I don't really like her anyway.**__**..**__** But does he really have to go?**__**" **__**"Don't worry. One day, you'll see him again." Her big brother reassured her. "Okay. If you say so."  
**_

_**End Flashback**_


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